Sumit Antil is an Indian Paralympian and javelin thrower, best known for winning the gold medal at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games. He threw a 68.55m javelin in the final, breaking the world record and personal record three times.
Wiki/Biography
Sumit Antil was born on Monday, July 6, 1998 (age 23; as of 2021), Sonipathhwara, Haryana. His zodiac sign is Gemini. After completing his education, Sumit attended Ramjas College in Delhi where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in commerce. While in school, he wanted to pursue a career in wrestling; however, at the age of seventeen, he lost a leg in an accident and had to give up on this dream. He was returning from tuition when he was involved in an accident when a tractor-trailer laden with cement hit him. Sumit was immediately taken to a military hospital for surgery, and doctors had to amputate his leg. After two months of bed rest, Sumit went to a prosthetic center in Pune to get his prosthetic limbs fitted.
appearance
Height: 6′2″
Eye color: black
Hair color: black
family
His late father Ram Kumar Antil was an Indian Air Force officer and his mother Nirmala Devi was a homemaker. He is the youngest of four siblings and has three older sisters: Kiran, Sushila and Renu Antill.
Sumit Andil’s mother Nirmala Devi
Sumit Andil and his sisters
Profession
Sumit Antil thought about pursuing a career in wrestling when he was in high school, but in 2015, he suffered an accident, after which he had to change his course of action for the sake of his future. In 2017, he was introduced to para track and field by a para-athlete in his village. Sumit was introduced to Naval Singh, a coach in Delhi, who convinced Sumit to choose javelin as his sport. After the injury, Sumit did not play any sports for a long time. So, he started strength training and endurance building. Despite the problems he faced, Sumit continued to work on improving his performance and the results started rolling in. He finished second at the 2019 India Open National Para Athletics Championships in Bengaluru. In his international debut, he finished fifth at the 2018 Asian Para Games in Jakarta.
Sumit Antil on the scoreboard after setting a world record at the 2020 Summer Paralympics
medal
- 2019 Dubai World Para Athletics Championships Silver Medal
- 2019 Paris Handsport Open Silver Medal
- 2019 Italian World Para Athletics Grand Prix Silver Medal
- 2021 Tokyo 2020 Summer Paralympics Gold Medal
- 2023 World Para Athletics Championships Paris Gold Medal
- Won a gold medal at the 2023 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, China
Awards
- 2021: Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award
- 2022: Padma Shri (Sports)
Favorites
- Wrestler: Yogeshwar Dutt
Facts/Trivia
- When Sumit Antil was seven, his father died after a long illness. Thereafter, his mother took care of him and his sisters.
- Initially, Sumit faced a lot of problems with his daily exercise routine as the lining of his prosthetic leg would fill with blood and sweat due to excessive heat. However, Sumit kept practicing and improved his performance during the competition. Narwal Singh said in an interview——
When I first met Sumit, I had to motivate him immensely. He wanted to be a wrestler, but that career path wasn’t possible at the time. Sumit is of good height and build. He is 6 feet 2 inches tall and has a strong build. I know if I work hard for him, he can do wonders. I managed to convince him to switch to javelin and he started training under my guidance. “
- After some time, Sumit started performing well in several national and international competitions and started winning medals for his team. He won his first silver medal at the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai. He threw the javelin a distance of 62.88 m, breaking his personal record.
Sumit Antill in Paralympic qualifying
- As his performance continued to improve over time, the GoSports Foundation, after observing him, decided to support Sumit financially by including him in the 2019 Para Champions Program.
- Naval Singh was working with Sumit and he believed that Sumit would bring a gold medal to the country at the Paralympics, which he did. The navy said in an interview——
I have never seen an athlete so focused. He was just so determined. I’m sure he will win a gold medal at the Paralympics. “
- Sumit Antil won gold in the javelin throw at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics, while Yogesh Kathuniya won silver in the discus. The Haryana government has decided to provide a cash reward of Rs. 6 Crores Sumit Antill and Rs. 4 Crores to Yogesh Kathuniya. They also received government job offers and cash incentives.
#TokyoParalympics | The Haryana government awarded a cash prize of Rs 6 to Sumit Antil, a gold medalist in javelin thrower, and Rs 4 to Yogesh Kathuniya, a silver medalist in discus thrower.
The Haryana government has also provided government jobs to Sumit Antil and Yogesh Kathuniya.
— ANI (@ANI) August 30, 2021
- Sumit set the javelin world record with a distance of 68.55m, but said he did better in practice. Sumit said in an interview with “India Today”——
This is a dream come true. I can’t express my feelings right now. This was my first Paralympics and I was a little nervous because the competitors were so good. I was hoping to throw over 70 meters, maybe I could throw 75m. It’s not my best result and I’m happy to break the world record. “
- Many politicians, actors and athletes came forward to congratulate Sumit Andil for winning a gold medal for the country at the Paralympics. Indian athletes including Olympic medalist Abhinav Bindra, 2016 Summer Paralympics silver medalist Deepa Malik and Tokyo 2020 gold medalist Neeraj Chopra have praised Sumit performance in the game and wish him good luck in the future.
ख़तरनरकरभईसुमित👌💪Proud of you🇮🇳 https://t.co/CNUDDtPAc7
— Neeraj Chopra (@Neeraj_chopra1) August 30, 2021
- When news of Sumit’s victory at the Paralympics appeared on news channels, he received a call from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Narendra Modi congratulated him for winning the gold medal and later praised him in a tweet on his Twitter account.
Our athletes continue to shine in competition #paralympics! The nation is proud of Sumit Antill’s record-breaking performance at the Paralympic Games. Congratulations to Sumit for winning the prestigious gold medal. I wish you all the best in the future.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 30, 2021
- Sumit participated in the 2023 Asian Para Games and won the gold medal in the men’s T-64 javelin throw. He broke the world record with a throw of 73.29m. Previously, he set this world record with a throw of 70.83m at the World Para Athletics Championships in July 2023.
Sumit Antil joins others on podium after winning gold medal at Asian Para Games 2023
Sumit Antil after winning gold at the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education